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and I wasn't the only one, was counting the people leaving me. The missus and I saw at least 15 folks leave before the end.

One of the most mind numbingly dull spectacles of my miserable existence. They weren't helped by an incompetent sound man, but there really is no spectacle in watching two blokes nodding at a table (and a suitcase) and no musicianship involved is there?

Don't get me wrong - I like their music, I would just never pay to go and see them again.

i dunno. i only saw them once and i loved it. but then a lot of it was down to being in a venue with a decent pa able to turn that sound up LOUD so you can hear it as well as feel it, so if the soundman was incompetent then yeah, i can see that not working. but complaining that there wasn't much spectacle at a fuck buttons gig is a bit o_O

Admittedly they're not the most active on stage but then what do you expect I guess? Most electronic music performances consist of laptop based stuff and little movement, it's the nature of the beast really. The reason you'd go would be to hear their material at overwhelming volumes on a decent PA - I guess if the sound was awful it's understandable that you'd feel a bit nothingy about it.

I agree that the venue didn't help - it wasn't loud enough. And I have actually seen them before, so I knew what to expect. I just think that they should be making more effort to incorporate something visual into their live act, whether it be some visuals (I was behind the desk and I could see there was a projector there) or some sort if lighting show, or maybe a few more live drums - rather than a couple of whacks on a snare now and then.

As it weas, it was like two blokes at a house party (not a very good one).

I like the way they perform to be honest but I guess I can see how it would be irritating. I know a lot of people who hate going to see Four Tet for the same reason, as they don't like watching someone stand still fiddling with a couple of computers and a mixer.

A lot of the artists I tend to go and see are DJs or DJ their material in some way as opposed to performing 'live', so Fuck Buttons seem fairly busy compared to a lot of other shows.

Some might say that's ironic, others would just say it's a tad hypocritcal, and others would say a bit of both. And finally some wouldn't care as your point may still be valid.

Anyway I was stood in front of you and I thought it started really well but then started to drag slightly towards the end (I was a little tired and hot which may have contributed). That's my first time seeing them live so I have nothing to compare it to fairly.

and always really enjoyed it. Saw them on Saturday and the crowd was 80% people there for the gig, 20% freshers that'd just stumbled across the Cellar on their first night out in Oxford, wandering round the edge looking a little bit upset at the entire scene laid out before them. One guy came up to me and complained that it wasn't as much like Fabric as he'd thought it would be.

I quite often end up not liking electronica/noisy stuff live, but they're one of my favourite live acts around on that level.

well. The point of very many of the one-liner type jokes from NB is that anyone quoting these ridiculous lines is an idiot.

Besides. Citing NB in relation to FB is incredibly lazy. It has been done about a million times previously. It's just not helpful to anyone. If you're doing it for a cheap smirk, it ain't funny. If you're doing it to make some serious point, you've failed cos I don't get what you're saying.

Something that goes beyond just listening to the music played live with some variation (even though you don't always get that either). Sometimes bands/ artists that aren't physically enegetic nor great showmen, try to make up for it by communicating with the audience and creating a very personal experience (Anthony and the Johnsons does this) or they try to create some production/ spectacle that builds on the music and adds some new dimension. Visual backdrops can be great, and so can dance performances (like the Pet Shop Boys often employed) though that is obviously very risky.

I'm not sure it's so astonishing to imagine that there are plenty of people who go to gigs expecting to see a performance - a show, and not just hear live versions of the material they own at home while soaking up the atmosphere (which is often dependent on how entertained people are anyway).

they jump around and make odd wooping noises/have little headbanging sessions for a fair proportion of the set... or at least they did touring the last record. for sure a lot of electronic acts are a pretty dull live spectacle but it's kinda strange to pick out fuck buttons as particularly boring.

Most people seemeed satisfied, but it is true that a few people left during the performance. It was ever so; I recall this at FB's performance at Primavera last year - which is how I ended on the front row :)

Any desire I've had to give them a second chance has been kept in check by everyone here climbing over each other to praise them just that little bit more.

Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!!! I had an ORGASM as soon as I walked in and soon I had BECOME ONE with the UNIVERSE and touched the FACE OF GOD!!!!!! I'm still hyperventilating SIX AND A HALF WEEKS LATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

would be something I'd get more out of live than on record. Saw them at ATP and just found the whole thing dull as dishwater, no amount of visuals would've made it entertaining. Loads of people said they were great that night as well, so it's obviously not for me.